Gays claim discrimination in aged care services
Melbourne’s The Age has reported on a La Trobe University researcher’s study, showing fear and discrimination in Victorian nursing homes.
Dr Catherine Barrett’s interviews with 19 people, who use various services and facilities, revealed people sinking into depression, because they felt compelled to hide their sexuality, after years of being openly gay, her report says.
Some people thought disclosure would lead to diminished care – including gay men who feared their sexuality would be associated with HIV or AIDS.
Others, who disclosed their identity, had been ridiculed and harassed by staff, carers or other residents, the report says.
The study found inadequate levels of care for some people, including restricted opportunities for sexual expression.
This included barring physical contact between partners and banning cross dressing.
But many staff did not realise how important sexual and cultural expression – such as hugging, kissing, cross dressing and masturbation – was for those seniors’ mental health, Dr Barrett says.
“It is expected that, by 2050, a quarter of the population will be 65 years or older,” she says in the report.
“While there are no accurate figures on the percentage of seniors who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or intersex, the proportion of the general population that is not exclusively heterosexual is thought to be between 8% and 11%.
“Aged care services will increasingly find themselves caring for (these people).”
